New research by Nickelodeon has found that “tactical tech time” is making today’s pre-schoolers knowledgeable, problem solving and interactive.
B&T was lucky enough to be invited along to Nickelodeon’s research upfront event this morning, which revealed some very interesting insights for Aussie marketers looking to tap into the pre-school market.
The event focused on a global study presented by Nickelodeon’s parent company, Viacom, titled Little big kids: preparing pre-schoolers for life.
Analysing 6,500 families from 12 countries, the study aimed to discover what it’s like to be a pre-schooler (those kids aged from two to five years old) in today’s world.
The research found that children are moving from a “shielded” past to an “exposed” future, with 88 per cent of Aussie parents expressing concerns about their child’s future.
Furthermore, 24 per cent of Aussie parents are concerned about their child’s safety – down 14 per cent on the global average.
The study also looked at how parents are raising “life-ready” pre-schoolers, and found that the majority of mums and dads globally are enabling experiences for children to be “playground smart”.
Here are some of the key takeaways from Viacom’s research:
- 77 per cent of Aussie parents believe children should learn through their own experiences, such as letting them use “big kid objects” and do “big kid tasks”, as well as embracing reasonable dangers.
- 65 per cent of Aussie parents always listen to a child’s opinion before making a decision that affects them, compared to 70 per cent globally.
- The top three reasons why parents send their children to pre-school are: to socialise with other kids (79 per cent); to learn to share and communicate with others (62 per cent) and; to gain a sense of competence/independence away from home (59 per cent).
- 74 per cent of Aussie parents think learning through play is more important than formal learning.
- 82 per cent of Aussie parents encourage their children to play outdoors, compared to 76 per cent globally. However, Aussie pre-schoolers only spend an average of two hours a day outside – slightly below the global average of 2.4 hours.
- 62 per cent of Aussie parents feel their kids are happiest when they’re playing outdoors.
Of course, the study wouldn’t be complete without some stats on pre-schoolers and their use of technology. They key takeaway here is that “tactical tech time” is making pre-schoolers knowledgeable, problem solvers and interactive, according to Viacom, but here are some other useful bits of info:
- 62 per cent of Aussie parents agree it’s important for children to keep up with tech developments, while 56 per cent believe technology will make their kids smarter.
- 69 per cent of Aussie pre-schoolers have access to a tablet – 4 per cent above the global average.
- 57 per cent of Aussie parents say that their kids use tablets for educational content.
- 52 per cent of Aussie parents think too much time is spent on devices can interfere with learning and development, and 73 per cent say they limit the amount of time their child spends on devices.
- 50 per cent of Aussie parents worry about their kids coming across inappropriate content when using tech devices, compared to 61 per cent globally.
- 73 per cent of Aussie parents say they limit the amount of time their children spend on tech devices.
- Aussie kids spend four hours less than the global average on tech devices, but still clocking up roughly 10 hours per week.
